


Acne Sucks

by DracoPendragon



Category: Supernatural
Genre: Alternate Universe - High School, Dinner, Family Dinners, Fluff, M/M, acne sucks
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2014-04-14
Updated: 2014-04-20
Packaged: 2018-01-19 10:13:19
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 3
Words: 5,453
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/1465591
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/DracoPendragon/pseuds/DracoPendragon
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Cas comes into school one day with a bad case of acne, but thankfully Meg covers it up. Then, last lesson, Dean Winchester sits next to him. Cas isn't quite sure how he managed to get a date with the guy he'd been crushing on, but it happened. And he didn't even have to do much of the talking.</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Chapter 1

Castiel made sure the side of his face was completely obscured by the hood of the hoodie he was wearing beneath his usual trench coat as he slowly advanced his way towards his friend Meg. She was standing by her locker, eyeing him with a mixed look of humour and confusion.

‘What’s up, Clarence?’ she asked as soon as he was within earshot. 'You weren't here for the first half of school.'

‘I didn't miss out on any lessons; I checked. I appear to have been the unwilling victim of a severe case of acne,’ he sighed as he opened his locker – the one right next to Meg’s – and began transferring his books from his bag into the small, metal safebox.

‘How bad?’ He could head Meg’s smirk in the way she said it, and swatted away the finger that was curling around his hood in an attempt to reveal the state of his misfortune.

‘It’s bad, okay. Trust me.’

‘What are you gonna do about it?’

Cas turned to look at her. ‘I can't let _him_ see it.’ No way was he going to let Dean Winchester see him when he looked like someone had attacked his face with red marker pen. That would be painfully embarrassing.

‘So…?’

‘So will you please help me?’ he asked, pulling his renowned puppy dog pout.

She studied him for a moment before grabbing the last of her supplies and shutting her locker. Cas followed suit, and they walked alongside each other to an empty classroom. Once there, she moved to a desk and dug out her makeup bag whilst instructing Cas to sit on the desk and take off his hood; which he did, albeit somewhat reluctantly.

‘Yikes,’ she said upon seeing the state of Cas’ blotchy skin.

‘Now you understand my concern,’ lamented Castiel.

‘Don’t worry, I’ll sort it out,’ she replied confidently as she grabbed her foundation and started spreading it on her friend’s face with a sponge. ‘It’s a little paler than your natural skin tone,’ she noted, ‘but it should be fine.’

Castiel sat complacently for the few minutes it took Meg to makeup his face, following her instructions whenever given any. When she eventually moved away he gave her a look of uncertainty.

‘Are you done?’

‘Yup. Finished,’ Meg smiled as she returned her foundation and applicator sponge to her makeup bag, before pulling out a compact mirror. ’Take a look.’

Cas studied his reflection in the small mirror that was being held in front of his face. He was pleasantly surprised; Meg had managed to blanket the worst of his blemishes so that they were only visible from a close distance, and also made sure the colour of his neck matched the tone of his face, so it wasn’t blatantly obvious he was wearing makeup. He looked up at her and flashed her one of his rare full smiles. She grinned back and moved forward to wrap her arms around his lithe frame in a quick hug before grabbing her bag and moving forward toward the door.

‘Thanks, Meg,’ Cas called out.

‘Welcome,’ replied Meg. ‘Now go stun that Winchester boy right out of his pants.’

She winked at him before leaving the classroom, and he took off his hoodie, replacing it with his trench coat before grabbing his bag and following her.

He dropped off his hoodie at his locker before starting for his lecture hall just as the bell started its dull, monotonous chiming, and indication that it was time to get to lesson. Cas picked up his pace to make sure he’d get to his intended location on time and not get engulfed in the stampede of students travelling around the school.

He made it to class on time, and seated himself in the middle of the seats in the hall, so he wasn’t right in the teacher’s line of view and didn’t stick out like a sore thumb, but also so that he wasn’t extremely close to the rest of the students. Cas got out all his equipment just as professor Zachariah launched into a lecture on bond energies that was bound to be endless.

* * *

The lesson was interrupted halfway through, but Castiel had been so engrossed in his note-taking that he didn’t even notice the newcomer until he was hit with the mouth-watering smell of greasy fast-food coming from the seat directly to his right. He turned to look, mostly out of curiosity, and could have fainted because _Dean Winchester_ was sat next to him eating a burger.

Dean seemed to notice he was being looked at and turned to offer Cas a wrapped burger. ‘Want one?’ he asked, mouth full.

‘No thank you,’ Cas rejected politely.

His stomach made a rumble of protest, and Dean raised an eyebrow before shoving the food item gently into Cas’ hands.

‘You seem hungry.’

Somehow, Castiel managed to quietly eat his burger whilst simultaneously taking notes, and thankfully Dean left him to it.

‘Are you wearing makeup?’

Cas flushed slightly at the question, but still inclined his head forward in reply.

‘How come?’ Dean whispered after a few moments, once more distracting Castiel from his notes.

Cas could feel the head rising in his cheeks, and hoped the makeup was enough to conceal it. He mumbled back a vague reply about acne, refusing to look Dean in the eye.

‘Aah,’ sighed the Winchester in understanding. ‘Acne’s a real bitch. But then, eating greasy burgers isn’t gonna help you clear it either.’

Cas smiled nervously just as a shout was directed at them from the front of the class.

‘Mr Winchester, Mr Novak! Would you mind telling the rest of the class what’s so incredibly interesting that it can interrupt my lesson?’

‘Nothing sir,’ replied Dean cockily before Castiel had a chance to respond.

‘Well if it’s nothing, then you just interrupted my class for no good reason, didn’t you?’ Zachariah asked. ‘And you know what that means.’

Everyone taught by Zachariah knew what happened if you interrupted him; you’d get a one way ticket to detention.

‘But professor, I’ve never had a detention before,’ said Cas quietly, voice echoing in the hall.

‘There's a first time for everything,’ leered the teacher.

‘Now hold on a second, he didn’t do anything,’ Dean said defensively.

‘Stay out of this, Winchester,’ Zachariah sneered.

‘No. it was my fault and I take full blame. Give me his detention too if you want, I don’t care. But I won't let him take the rap for something that wasn’t his fault,’ continued Dean, unabashed.

The lecturer studied them intensely, furrowed eyebrows hooking his beady eyes before he let the matter drop. ‘Fine. Detention, Winchester. And don’t even think about disturbing my lesson again or I’ll be calling home.’

Castiel watched as Dean gave Zachariah a beaming smile before scrawling down some notes as the professor continued his lecture.

‘Thank you,’ he said quietly so no one would hear. Dean just looked at him sideways and smiled before continuing his note-taking. Castiel also turned back to his notes after that snippet of communication, and no more was said between them for a while.

* * *

The class was silent, all of the students focusing on the work they had been set on calculating temperature changes in reactions. Cas was almost done, having completed eighty per cent of the questions set. There was a warm weight leaning against his shoulder as Dean moved to look at his answers, and Castiel shifted his paper so his writings were easier for the Winchester to see.

‘Winchester, do your own work,’ came the call from the front in that same, constant voice which had been numbing their brains for the past three quarters of an hour.

‘I just wanted to check I was doing it right,’ Dean explained.

‘I don’t care, do your work independently.’

Castiel looked over to see Dean tightly at the front podium. ‘Yes sir,’ the other boy said. ‘Dick,’ he added in an undertone as he looked at the sheet of questions in front of him.

The tips of Cas’ lips turned up in an unexpected smile and he realised Dean had turned to look at him with a small, satisfied smile of his own. Their eyes made contact for a second and Cas felt his heart pause for a beat before continuing its rhythm, which seemed more irregular than it had been. Then the trance was broken as Dean returned his attention to the questions.

* * *

Finally, the bell rang signalling the end of lesson, and Cas quickly packed up so he could go home.

‘Hey, wait up,’ called a voice from behind him as he stepped out onto the stairs that lead to the door. He turned around to see Dean beckoning him closer, so he stepped back into the row and walked until he'd reached the space he'd been sitting in.

‘What?’ he asked, adjusting the strap of his bag so it was resting more comfortably on his shoulder.

‘I was wondering if you wanted to go on a date,’ blurted Dean, almost as though he was nervous. His smile was shy, and he was running a hand through his hair constantly.

‘You have detention,’ Cas pointed out bluntly.

‘Detention can wait,’ said Dean, waving off the mention of it confidently. ‘Plus, you’re totally worth skipping it for.’

 Cas felt the blush rise in his cheeks again, and wondered again if the makeup hid it.

‘Tell you what,’ continued the other student, ‘you give me your number, and I’ll go to detention.’

Standing still for a few moments, Castiel blinked as his brain processed the information. Then, after a phone had been waved in his face, he blurted out his mobile number from memory.

‘Woah, slow down a little? I didn’t catch all of that.’

Castiel repeated his number at a slower pace, and watched Dean as he typed, smooth fingers moving purposefully over the keys of his mobile.

When he was done, the sound of keys clacking halted abruptly and Cas felt his phone vibrate from his pocket. He pulled it free and saw he'd got a new message from an unknown number. The message was opened after a slide of his thumb and a tap at the 3-3-2-6 keys on the lock screen. He suddenly felt ridiculous upon remembering it spelt DEAN, but pushed the thought away as he read the message quickly.

 

_> Hey, Novak. Wanna date after detention? ;)_

_Dean_

Cas looked up from his phone at the other boy, who was currently checking Castiel out unashamedly.

‘Call me Cas,’ he said. ‘Not Novak.’

‘Sure thing,’ smiled Dean, eyes moving up to meet Cas’.

‘You should go,’ Cas pointed out.

‘I suppose I should.’ Dean didn’t move.

‘What are you waiting for?’

‘Your reply,’ Dean grinned.

‘To what?’

‘The text.’

Cas rolled his eyes and looked down at his phone before typing one short reply.

 

_< Yes._

He hit send, and Dean’s phone made a buzzing noise in his hand seconds later. The Winchester looked down to check the alert before looking at Cas and grinning even more than he had been before.

‘Great,’ he said. ‘I’ll text you.’

‘Go on now, before you get into more trouble.’

‘Trouble’s my middle name,’ Dean winked before he walked out of the hall.

Cas sighed loudly before he too exited the room. Everyone else had left while he and Dean had been talking, and he walked the corridors alone, unable to keep the smile from his face as he met Meg at the gates. She quirked an eyebrow at his facial expression but was otherwise quiet as they walked home together.


	2. Chapter 2

_> What’s the word, Cas?_

_< It’s a shortened version of my name. I thought you said you’d go to detention._

_> I am in detention. Professor Singer’s supervising, and he likes me. That’s how I’m able to send you messages._

_< Oh right. Thank you again for standing up for me. I’m sorry it got you detention._

_> No worries. I hate Zachariah anyway. It was unfair of him to try pin the blame on you._

_< He is not a very nice teacher._

_> No, he's not. What are you up to anyway?_

_< He’s currently ignoring me for you, Winchester. Meg._

_< I apologise for my friend. She stole my phone because she says I’m ‘ignoring her’._

_> That’s fine. I’ll leave you to it then. Speak later?_

_< Let’s._

_> Awesome :)_

__  
  
‘Meg!’ Cas exclaimed as he threw a pillow at his friend, who was sat on the floor of his room. ‘That was rude.’

‘So’s ignoring me,’ Meg pointed out as she blocked his attack. ‘And you’ve been on your phone ever since we got here.’

‘I apologise.’

‘Good. So what are you gonna do?’ she asked.

Cas tilted his head and furrowed his brow in confusion. ‘About what?’

‘About Dean, stupid. How are you gonna get with him?’ Castiel sighed at the inappropriate eyebrow waggle that accompanied her words, and she gave him a pointed look in reply. ‘What? He obviously likes you, or he wouldn’t have asked to exchange numbers.’

‘I suppose so,’ Cas reasoned. ‘But what if he only likes me as a friend? And besides, I have very little experience in these kinds of affairs.’

‘You’ll be fine, don’t worry,’ she quipped, pulling her own phone from her pocket. ‘Those eyes and that sex hair, it’s a wonder he didn’t jump you the moment he saw you.’

Cas watched curiously as she tapped out a message, holding the screen close to her face so he wouldn’t be able to get a glance at what she was typing. Then, when she was done, a brief ‘swish’ing sound came from her phone and she locked it before replacing it in her pocket.

‘What was that?’ Castiel asked.

‘Nothing,’ Meg grinned, smiling devilishly.

The other student eyed her up warily but said nothing more on the matter, turning back to his books.

* * *

They worked in almost silence for a while, which was disturbed temporarily when Castiel’s eldest brother Michael came to ask how everything was going. Other than that small interruption, nothing eventful happened. They’d put away their books by half past five, Meg more interested in gossiping than work. Castiel listened politely as she talked about how apparently, the head cheerleader had a crush on her, and was planning on dumping her boyfriend. Cas wasn’t one for gossip, but he didn’t want to be impolite, so he listened to Meg talking.

When the clock struck six, Meg departed, after making Cas promise to text her on any developments with Dean. Cas escorted her to the door and she gave him a kiss on the cheek before walking out into the street. Cas closed the door behind him and went back up to his room, where he sat studying for a while longer before giving up for the night and picking up his phone again.

He had a new message from Dean.

 

_> Hey, man. You busy?_

_< Not anymore. Why?_

_> No reason. I gotta do this one thing, I’ll speak to you in about ten minutes, okay?_

_< That is alright._

_> Good. Speak soon ;)_

 

Castiel wondered what Dean would be doing. Then he entered the music player on his phone and set it to play some Chopin before collapsing back onto his bed and watching the clock.

* * *

Twelve minutes passed. Dean hadn’t texted him back. The doorbell rang.

Gabriel called his name from downstairs.

‘Cas! Door for you!’

‘Who is it?’ Castiel shouted back, halting ‘The Raindrop Prelude’ halfway through and moving from off his bed to the door of his room.

‘Pizza man,’ came the reply.

Cas sighed and walked downstairs, straightening out his sweater vest from where lying on the bed had crumpled it. ‘Gabriel, if you’re referring to those pornographic videos you showed me once, I-’

He stopped short as he reached the bottom of the stairs and saw who was at the door. He was unable to stop the smile that rapidly took over his face, because there was Dean Winchester, standing on his porch.

‘Hello, Dean,’ he said.

‘Hey, Cas. I said we’d talk soon,’ grinned Dean.

‘You did.’

Gabriel was watching the exchange with his head tilted in curiosity. Then he turned to Dean. ‘Why’re you here?’

‘I was wondering if Cas was busy,’ Dean said, eyes flicking to Gabriel before his gaze returned to Cas.

‘I’m not doing anything right now,’ said Cas quickly before Gabe could say anything else. He walked up to the door and stood by his brother.

‘Wanna come for a ride?’ Dean asked, grinning at him as he gestured to a blue car parked outside.

‘That’s your impala?’ Gabe asked.

‘Damn straight.’

‘I like your style,’ Gabe smirked, digging through his pocket. ‘Lollypop?’ he asked, extending one out to the Winchester.

‘No thanks.’

Gabriel shrugged. ‘More for me.’ He stuck the candy in his mouth and pushed Cas gently out of the door and shut it, calling out: ‘Have fun, stay safe,’ as he did so.

Cas turned to look at the boy beside him. ‘Shall we go then?’

‘Let’s,’ Dean smiled at him.

* * *

The drive to their destination didn’t take too long. Dean refused to give in to Cas’ persistent enquiries as to where they were going, grinning easily whenever the subject was breached. Cas’ response was to give him the silent treatment. Dean didn’t mind, determined to win. He just hummed along to whatever classic rock song was playing on the radio at the time.

Eventually, Dean pulled up outside an old bar hidden on the outskirts of town. He switched off the engine, got out of the car and went to hold the door on Castiel’s side open for him.

‘Thank you,’ said Castiel politely as he stepped out of the car. He looked at the place he had been brought to; it didn’t look too sophisticated, and there was a neon sign on the front declaring it as ‘Harvelle’s Roadhouse’.

‘She doesn’t look like much, I know,’ said Dean as he too looked at the building before them. ‘But they sure as hell have the best burgers around, lemme tell you.’

‘It’s different,’ Cas murmured. ‘I like it.’

‘Good to hear. Now, the people inside may seem a bit intimidating, but don’t worry. They won't hurt you. Some of them are actually pretty big softies if you can crack through the hard exterior.’

Castiel nodded to show he’d understood, and they started walking to the front of the diner. Dean held the door open for him again, and he walked in, trying not to attract too much attention.

‘Hey, Dean,’ called a young, blonde girl from behind the bar. ‘Who’s your friend?’

‘Jo, this is Cas,’ Dean introduced. ‘Cas, this is Jo. She’s the owner's daughter.’

‘Nice to meet you, Cas,’ Jo smiled as she  moved closer to them.

‘Hello,’ said Castiel in reply, aiming a small smile in her direction.

She turned to address Dean. ‘Sam's in his room if you want to introduce him to your friend.  And my mom’s in the back, trying to get Ash to do some work.’

‘Thanks Jo,’ replied the Winchester before he pulled Cas along with him.

They were stopped on their way to the back room by a man Castiel recognised as being Professor Singer from school.

‘Hey there, Bobby,’ Dean said easily. ‘Ellen around?’

‘She's just gone upstairs to get Sam down for dinner,’ answered the man before he noticed Castiel. ‘Say, who’s this?’

‘My name is Castiel,’ replied Cas, holding out his hand. He was relieved when Bobby shook it and smiled at him.

‘You’re the one Dean was defending, right?’

Castiel nodded.

‘That Zachariah professor’s an idjit, I’m telling you. Nice to meet you, kid. Dean talked about you non-stop during detention.’

‘That’s not true,’ snapped Dean quickly, cheeks flushing.

‘Whatever,’ replied Bobby, winking in Cas’ direction. He walked behind the bar, and called back to them. ‘You’d best be tellin’ Ellen she's gonna have another mouth to feed.’

‘Doing it,’ Dean nodded. He turned to Cas. ‘Let’s go upstairs.’ He took Cas’ hand in his own and pulled his fellow student in the direction of the stairs.

‘Hey Ellen! I’ve got a friend round!’

The sounds of two sets of feet came from the corridor at the top of the stairs, and Cas watched as a blonde woman who bore a striking resemblance to Jo walked down the wooden flight. She was followed by a teenage boy with brown, floppy hair.

‘Ellen, Sammy,’ Dean said once more in introduction, ‘meet Cas.’

‘Hey there, Cas,’ smiled the woman, who, by process of elimination, was Ellen. ‘Will you be joining us for dinner?’

‘Hello,’ Cas smiled shortly again. ‘If it is not too much of an intrusion upon you, then I would like to stay with you.’

‘Sure thing, sweetie,’ she nodded before angling her head so she could see the inside of the bar. ‘I’m gonna go close the bar, so Dean, Sam, you can set the table.’

‘Yes, ma’am,’ Dean replied.

‘No cheek with me boy, or you’ll be getting that car confiscated.’

‘Sorry.’ Dean’s head drooped.

‘Go on, let’s be gone with you,’ Ellen said before she walked out, leaving just Sam, Dean, and Cas.

‘Hey, Cas,’ Sam said, extending out his hand. ‘I’m Sam.’

‘Hello,’ Cas nodded in understanding.

‘We’d better go set the table,’ Sam pointed out.

‘Yeah, let’s be going,’ Dean agreed. Castiel let the two brothers lead him to the main room, which was now almost vacant bar a few stragglers, where they put together two of the larger tables ready for dinner.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> So this was gonna be one chapter but I ended up splitting it into two for fear it'd be too long or something...
> 
> The next one will be uploaded asap.


	3. Chapter 3

Castiel was sat between Dean and Sam at the table, with Jo, Bobby and Ellen sat at the opposite side. Ash wasn’t joining them because he was currently ‘doing important stuff’ which took precedence over his dining obligations, and so they all fit nicely around the two rounded tables they’d set out.

‘So Cas, how’s school going?’ Ellen asked politely, after everyone’s plates were loaded with food – chicken wings and french fries.

‘It’s going well, thank you,’ replied Castiel after he’d finished his mouthful.

‘How’d you two meet then?’ Jo piped in, waving her fork between Dean and Cas.

‘Well,’ Dean started, ‘we were both in Zachariah’s class- yeah, I know right,’ he veered off at the looks of barely concealed disgust on Sam and Jo’s faces. ‘And I’d arrived late and was asking Cas here, who I had sat next to, what we were doing, and Zachariah very unfairly shouted at us for “interrupting his lesson”.’

Castiel was glad that Dean had omitted the part about the makeup. Then he remembered he hadn’t checked it before he walked out, and was unaware of how he looked at that current moment in time. He continued eating quietly, hoping that Meg had used a substantial and lasting amount..

‘Anyway, me, being the bold hero that I am, called Zach out on his bull and he eventually let over and said Cas didn’t have to go to his detention. I still got one, but hey, nothing new there.’

‘You’re damn lucky it was me supervisin’,’ Bobby said. ‘Otherwise you wouldn’t’ve been able to talk at all about your heroic act, let alone text the boy.’

‘Thanks, Bobby,’ Dean grinned.

‘Yeah, yeah,’ the older man grumbled before taking another bite of his food.

‘Sam, you’ve never had a detention before either, have you?’ Dean asked, turning to his little brother.

‘No, I haven’t,’ confirmed Sam. He turned to Castiel. ‘What’s your favourite subject?’

‘I like chemistry, but I think my favourite is math,’ Cas replied after a moment of thought. ‘You?’

‘I’m not sure, I like a mix of things,’ Sam admitted. ‘I was thinking of becoming a lawyer.’

‘It’s an admirable job,’ smiled Castiel. ‘What about you, Jo?’

‘I was made to work here for the rest of my life,’ Jo said casually. ‘Mom needs help, and there’s not better person to do it than me. What about you?’

‘I’m not sure yet,’ Cas said. He hadn’t thought about it in detail, despite the constant pushing from his family. ‘My parents want me to go into a reputable job, such as a teacher or a doctor, but I’m not sure it’s what I want to do.’

‘You should do whatever you want, kiddo,’ Ellen said. ‘It’s your life, not your parents’.’

‘Agreed,’ Dean said, mouth full. He swallowed his food before continuing. ‘That’s why I’m gonna be a mechanic.’

‘You like cars, I take it?’ Castiel asked.

‘Yeah, I just think it’s cool to figure out how they work. All the parts working together to maintain one huge system, you know?’

‘It sounds fascinating,’ Cas remarked, unable to stop staring at Dean. It was interesting, seeing the other boy talk about something he was passionate about. Like there was a whole other side to him that no one ever saw. Cas felt honoured to be able to witness it.

‘It’s actually pretty boring,’ Sam broke in, staring at the two of them curiously.

‘Shut it, bitch,’ Dean growled.

‘Jerk.’

Castiel watched the exchange with some humour; his brothers were never like that, their arguments never that casual and calm. No, Michael and Lucifer were more bitter and angry. It was annoying to live with. He felt his phone vibrate in his pocket, and pulled it out. He’d got a message from Gabriel.

 

_> Hey, broski. How’s everything? Michael wants you back before dark. And don’t forget to use protection!_

 

Cas sighed and repocketed the device. Dean noticed and turned to look at him with concern.

‘Everything okay?’

‘Just my brother. He can be a lot to handle.’

‘Yeah. You mentioned the pizza man?’

‘That’s a story for later, perhaps,’ Castiel said, not wanting to divulge his brother’s habits in front of Dean’s family.

‘Okay then,’ Dean nodded.

‘I have to be back before it gets dark, my eldest brother says,’ he informed his friend.

‘Sun goes down in about an hour,’ Ellen offered, looking towards the clock.

‘That’s more than enough time for a little karaoke,’ Dean grinned, moving from the table to the jukebox. He dug a few coins from his pocket and deposited them in the slot at the side of the machine before shuffling through the songs. Elvis’ ‘Don’t Leave Me Now’ started playing, and Sam and Jo groaned from their seats at the table.

Dean just smirked and sang along with the song, holding an invisible microphone in his hand and pulling his best Elvis impression.

Ellen wrangled Jo into clearing the dishes, and Sam left for his room a minute later, with Dean still crooning. Cas barely noticed the movement around him, focus almost completely on the sound of the music and Dean. He looked around at one point; Sam was gone, Ellen and Jo were standing behind the bar watching Dean and talking in low voices, and Bobby was sat looking straight at Cas with a small smile. Cas smiled gently back before returning his attention to Dean.

Eventually, the song finished and the bar was filled with Jo’s call of ‘Alright, ladies and gents, that’s all for tonight I’m afraid. Dean, get the hell off the stage before you get hooked off it.’

He sent her a grin before moving back over to Cas. ‘Wanna come upstairs and help me with the homework?’

‘So that’s what they call it these days,’ Bobby said gruffly before he moved away from the table over to where Ellen and Jo were.

‘Shut up,’ Dean said, cheeks inflaming. ‘Coming?’

Cas nodded and rose from the table, following Dean up the stairs to the other boy’s bedroom.

It wasn’t a small space, but that was the impression it gave; the floor was littered with clothing and books. There was a small record collection that looked as though it was cared for meticulously, as well as a desk that was cluttered with papers.

‘Sorry it’s a mess, I wasn’t expecting visitors,’ Dean said as he walked over to sit on his bed, sweeping it clean with a hand.

‘It’s fine,’ Cas said as he moved to sit stiffly on the edge of the bed.

‘So that’s my family,’ smiled the other boy. ‘I’m pretty sure they like you.’

‘I am glad,’ Castiel smiled back.

‘Yeah. They can get a little annoying though.’

‘Family often does.’

Cas was highly aware of the proximity in which Dean was to him. There wasn’t much space separating them at all, and Dean seemed to be subtly inching closer as they continued talking. It unnerved him; what if Dean wanted to kiss him? Or do something else? He knew about Dean’s reputation; he wasn’t exactly inexperienced. Not like Cas.

They kept on talking, about small, insignificant things as Dean moved closer and war raged on in Castiel’s head as to what he should do. When it reached the point at which their lips were so close Cas could feel Dean’s breath on him, he jerked back slightly.

‘Everything okay?’ Dean asked, clearly concerned.

‘Fine,’ Cas insisted straight away. ‘I just… Dean, I’ve never kissed anyone before.’

They were both silent for a while, Cas giving Dean time to digest the information.

‘Seriously? Handsome guy like you and you’ve never kissed anyone?’ came the question eventually.

‘No. And I don’t know how to go about it.’

‘That’s fine,’ Dean said gently, making Cas look up in surprise. ‘If you're not ready, it can wait. I get where you're coming from.’

‘I’m sorry.’

‘There's no need to apologise, Cas,’ Dean comforted, wrapping his arm around Cas’ shoulder. ‘It’s fine, honestly. You'll be worth the wait, I can tell.’

‘Even if you have to wait forever?’

‘Even then.’

Cas smiled, and Dean smiled back at him. Then he turned to look out through his window. ‘We should maybe get going. Sky’s getting darker.’

‘Yes, we should,’ agreed Cas.

They got up and walked out of Dean’s room and back down the stairs, where Cas said goodbye to everyone. Ellen assured him he was welcome anytime and Bobby agreed with her. Jo and Sam kept on winking at the pair and stage whispering their theories on what had happened until Ellen told them to scram. Dean walked Cas out to the car and they drove back to Castiel’s house, Dean singing along to more songs from the radio and Cas listening intently.

'You have a beautiful voice,' he said at one point.

Dean blushed slightly and mumbled his thanks before continuing at a lower volume.

* * *

Dean pulled up outside Castiel’s house and got out to open the passenger door. Cas smiled at the gesture as he got out, and they walked together to the front door. They stood on the porch for a while, just looking at each other silently.

‘You should maybe go in now,’ Dean suggested.

‘Maybe,’ Castiel shrugged.

Silence again, in which neither of them made any effort to move.

‘I had a wonderful time,’ Cas continued.

‘Good to hear,’ Dean smiled.

‘Thank you. For everything.’

‘You’re welcome, Cas.’

Dean moved forward slightly. Cas didn’t stop him or say anything. Dean continued moving closer until they were almost chest to chest. ‘You okay with this?’

Mind made up, Castiel nodded bravely and looked up at Dean, tilting his head so it was at a better angle.

Dean moved forward just the slightest bit more and they were kissing. It was soft, and smooth, the press of lips on lips. They stood, unmoving, for a few seconds before withdrawing. Cas was blushing, he could feel it.

‘So worth the wait. And you know, you didn’t have to wear makeup to cover that acne. You're gorgeous anyway,’ Dean said absentmindedly.

‘You think so?’

‘Of course I do.’

Cas smiled shyly. Then it dawned on him. ‘How did you get my address?’

‘Meg gave it to me,’ Dean smirked.

Cas rolled his eyes. Of course Meg had done it. ‘I shall have to thank her one day,’ he said out loud.

‘Yeah, I think you will,’ Dean agreed. He looked around. ‘You should go in. I’ll see you tomorrow?’

‘Okay,’ Cas smiled, before moving in, feeling a million times more confident. They kissed again, shortly, before Dean moved back reluctantly to go back to his impala.

Cas watched as he drove away before stepping into the house, smile so wide it almost hurt but he didn’t care because _Dean Winchester had kissed him and it was amazing_.

He ignored Gabriel's interrogation when he walked upstairs and went straight to his room, where he texted Meg his thanks and told her he’d explain the whole thing tomorrow. Then, he lay on his bed, reliving the day’s events in his head until it was time to go to bed.


End file.
